Subatomic particles are particles that are smaller in size than an atom. There are two types of subatomic particles: (a) elementary particles that are not made up of other particles, e.g., fermions and bosons, and (b) composite particles that are bound states of two or more elementary particles, e.g., hadrons, baryons (includes protons and neutrons) and mesons.
Since the discovery of X-rays in 1895, several techniques have been developed for the detection and identification of subatomic particles (referred to herein as “particles”). Scores of particles have been discovered, but several others are predicted to exist in theory only. Recent growth of digital technologies and computing capabilities has enabled the discovery of some formerly obscure particles. For example, the Higgs boson that had been predicted to exist for more than 40 years was finally discovered in 2012 in the culminating stages of a decade long experiment at the Large Hadron Collider.
Conventional techniques for detecting subatomic particles are problematic because they are custom-made for specific particles. Technology developed for one type of particle cannot be easily modified to detect another type of particle. For instance, proportional high-pressure gas-filled tubes of 3He (Helium-3), 10BF3 (Boron Trifluoride) and 10B (Boron) for neutron detection cannot be used to detect and discriminate gamma photons. Instead, an entirely different set of technologies must be used, such as sodium iodide (NaI) or cesium iodide (CsI) scintillators.
Furthermore, conventional technologies that can detect several subatomic particles employ expensive and difficult to acquire components. While the Geiger-Muller counter is an example of a technology that can detect several subatomic particles, such as alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays, discriminating one particle from another based on the signal they generate is a significantly complex and slow task.
Conventional technologies have also been fundamentally analog systems that are prone to system level noise that results in false signals. Voltage fluctuations, mechanical vibrations, and temperature and humidity changes are some extraneous factors that result in the generation of false signals.
Furthermore, conventional technologies also suffer from the following limitations: (a) long measurement times in very low source particle flux environments that limits practical use in scenarios with high background flux originating from anywhere other than the source (such as the sun, the cosmos etc.), (b) significant dead time, (c) effectively incapable of single particle detection, (d) require significant oversight either due to high operating voltages or potential of failure of some fragile component (such as photomultiplier) in the system, (e) require frequent maintenance that increases cost of use and reduces system availability.